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Cary Fukunaga & John Legend Team Up to Tell 'The Black Count' Tale

Hot on the heels of the successful HBO limited series "True Detective," director Cary Fukunaga is readying his next big screen project now. After delivering a fie adaptation of Jane Eyre, Deadline has word that Fukunaga has another period drama in the works with The Black Count, an adaptation of Tom Reiss' Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name about French Revolution-era General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the highest-ranking non-white man to ever serve in any European army and a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte for some time. Fukuaga will adapt the book and also direct the film for a surprising producer.

Chart-topping singer John Legend will executive produce the film by way of his Get Lifted Film Co. banner, and they're the ones who optioned the book for Fukunaga to turn into a feature film. Sony Pictures is already behind the film with Michael De Luca saying, "Cary’s exceptional talent as a writer/director will bring to life all of the action and drama that have made The Black Count such a compelling read." The story is certainly a unique one as Dumas was the first non-white brigadier general in the French military, and his legacy inspired the novels of his son, the famous Alexandre Dumas, author of the classic books The Three Mustketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Fukunaga's next project is Beasts of No Nation and adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s bestselling novel of the same name with Idris Elba in the lead. This also seems like it would be the perfect role for Elba to take on, though he might be a tad too old. Perhaps Chiwetel Ejiofor could step up and more than likely land himself another Oscar nomination and hopefully win after losing to Matthew McConaughey at the most recent Oscars. Anyway, this project is still a little further over the horizon, so stay tuned to see how it develops.